Kendrick Meek: “We can do it together. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that it can be done. Let's just put it this way: It is the new…”

“We can do it together. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that it can be done. Let's just put it this way: It is the new direction versus more of the same. There are Members of Congress that are saying that they are on board on the new direction. There are troops in Iraq that are saying that they are on board for a new direction. And I can tell you from 4 years on the Armed Services Committee that looking in the eyes of the commanders when they come, they are also looking for a new direction. And even, Mr. Speaker, when the President puts forth this Iraq Study Group that brought forth recommendations on the direction we should move in, the President says, thank you very much for your input, I appointed you, bipartisan commission, but we are going to send new troops to Iraq, and that is the answer. I am not a Member of Congress with a conspiracy theory, but I will say that the President sent the 20,000 additional troops before we had an opportunity to really look at what is happening or what has been happening in the time that our committee rooms have sat with the lights off.”